Means for reducing air resistance on vehicles.



G. A. AHRENS. MEANS FOR REDUCING AIB RESISTANCE ON VEHICLES. APPLIOATIOKFILED OCT. 17,1908.

926,971 Patented July 6, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

sawifiz g I Z I (1R0 Lump G. A. AHRENS. MEANS FOR REDUCING-AIRRESISTANCE 0N VEHICLES.

APPLIOATIOH FILED OUT. 17,1908.

Patented July 6 2 SHEETfi-EHEET B.

. 5141mm 0: im/yz/Z/iimw,

atto'cnm a AIDIEVL mwmn cu, pnoro-mmamvmns. wnsnmcmm u. c

GEORGE A. AHRENS, OF MUKWONAGO, WISCONSIN.

MEANS FOR REDUCING AIR RESISTANCE 0N VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 6, 1909.

Application filed October 17, 1908. Serial No. 458,281.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. Annmvs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mukwonago, in the county of VVaulresha and State ofWisconsin, have invented a new and useful Means for Reducing AirResistance on Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide meanswhereby the resistance to the passage of a railway car, automobile, orother vehicle through air may be materially reduced.

A further object of the invention is to provide a railway car or othervehicle with ducts or passages leading from end to end thereof andarranged to permit the free passage of air from the front to the rear ofthe vehicle, thus afiording a passage through which the air may travelas the vehicle advances, and reducing the degree of compression at thefront end of the vehicle and preventing or minimizing the formation of apartial vacuum at the rear end. of the vehicle.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafterappear, the invention consists in certain novel features of constructionand arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims, it being un-.

derstood that various changes in the form, proportions, size and minordetails of the structure may be made without departing from the spiritor sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings :-Figu1'e 1 is a longitudinal sectionalview of a railway car constructed and arranged in accordance with theinvention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

In carrying out the invention, a pair of air ducts or tubes 10 arearranged under or in the lower portion of the body of the vehicle, andextend from end to end thereof. These tubes are formed of some smooth orpolished material for the purpose of reducing the frictional resistanceto the passage of the current of air, and further are preferably taperedin diameter from end to end. It will be noted that the larger end of oneof these tubes is at one end of the vehicle,

while the largerend of the other tube is at the opposite end of the car,so that the dc vice is available for movement of the vehicle in eitherdirection. When traveling in one direction, the air enters the small endof one of the tubes, passes therethrouglti, and discharges at the largerend, while in traveling in the other direction, the air enters thesmaller end of the mating tube, and travels toward the larger endthereof.

In the ends of the vehicleare formed a large number of openings 1 1. Inthe present instance there are three vertical series of such openings,one near each side, and one at the center of the end portion, as will beevident on reference to Fig. 2, and leading downward from these openingsare entrance tubes 12, all of which discharge finally into the main duct10. The tubes 12 are also preferably tapered, gradually increasing indiameter from the entrance openings 11 to the point of discharge, so asto offer minimum resistance to the passage of the air current.

Each of the entrance months 11 is provided with a flap valve 13 pivoted.at its upper edge immediately within the mouth of the opening, and soarranged as to yield inwardly when subjected to the pressure of the air,so that the streams of air may pass through the openings and thencethrough the down Wardly trending tubes 11 to the main duct 10, while onmovement of the car in the op posite direction these flap valves willautomatically move to closed position by gravity.

There is, of course, a set of entrance openings or ducts at each end ofthe car or other vehicle one set communicating with one of the mainducts 10, while the other communicates With the mating duct, so that thedevice may be available for movement of the vehicle in either direction,although this, of course, will not be necessary when the invention is aplied to automobiles, flying ma chines, or like vehicles, which areintended to travel practically in but one direction.

It is, of course, a Well known fact that the air offers enormousresistance to the passage of a rapidly moving car, not only from theincrease in density of the air at the front of the vehicle, but, also,from the vacuum orpartial vacuum that is formed at the rear end thereof,and anything that will tend to decrease the compression at the front andincrease the pressure at the rear will materially aid the travel of thevehicle.

It is OlJVlOUS 1n the present lustance, that the numerous 0 eningsformed at the front end of the vehicle will permit the passage of alarge quantity of air, and that this air passing directly to the rear ofthe vehicle will tend to destroy the partial vacuum created by theforward travel of said vehicle.

YVhat is claimed is 1. A vehicle provided with an air duct leading fromend to end thereof, said duct tapering in diameter and being largest atthe rear or discharge end.

2. A vehicle having a main air duct leading from end to end thereof,there being numerous openings formed at the front end of the vehicle,and minor ducts leading from said openings to said main duct.

3. A vehicle having a main duct leading from end to end thereof, thefront end of the vehicle having a plurality of openings, minor ductsleading from the openings and discharging into the main duct, andautomatic valves for elosingsaid openings.

4. A vehicle having a pair of ducts disposed in parallel relation andleading from end to end thereof, there being openings formed at each endof the vehicle, and minor ducts leading from said openings to the mainducts, one set of duets being available for use when the vehicle ismoving in one direction, and the other set being brought into use whenthe vehicle is moving in the opposite direction.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aIliXedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE A. AHRENS.

l/Vitnesses PERRY P. CAMP. Envrn CAMP.

